Barely Breathing
by Kayliem1999
Summary: The team is complete; that's what they believe. But, Coulson brings home a teenager late one night covered in injuries -some deeper than the skin. FitzSimmons stitch her back up and cross their fingers. Almost immediately after she wakes up, she is thrown at the unsuspecting team. Slowly they realize that maybe, they aren't complete without her. Rated M for some content.
1. Chapter 1: Bleeding Out

**My first attempt at an Agents of SHIELD fanfic, hope you enjoy it.**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

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Snow crunched beneath her feet as she walked down the street leaving a trail of her blood on the icy concrete. She lacked clothes in comparisonto the weather. Her jeans were torn , her boots were untied and her tank top was damp with snow and blood. Dried bood –hers and strangers' –caked on her pale skin and was tangled in her hair. Shivers raked her body and tears threatened to spill over.

Her team; they were all dead because of her. _Her past._ Those men, they were from the Clan. They found her and killed her team trying to geet her back. Michael. She could hear him screaming at her. "Run, Linds," he shouted to her. And she did, his gut-wrenching yelp echoing after her.

Those men that killed Micheal, Evens and Shannon, they were the men who raised her. She should've known they would find her, they had probably been tracking her.

The static in her ear stopped and a voice came over her Comm.

"Agent Conway," a voice said. She didn't respond, she _couldn't _respond.

"Lindsey," they persisted.

She couldn't distiguish whether the voice was male or female and the words being sopken didn't register in her mind Then she could hear someone approaching her, definitely with purpose. But, she didn't care. It could be those men, but they could kill her for all she cared, there was nothing left for her here. Lindsey looked up and saw a man she knew. Coulson. Something in the back of her mind flickered reminding her that he was supposed to be dead. That didn't bother her though.

She let him drapeto thick blanket over her nearly frozen body and pick her up. Her small body lay limp in his ars and her head lulled to the side, resting on his chest.

"It's gonna be okay, Lindsey," he siad in his knowing agent voice. "I've got you."

Her big green eyes stared off into nothing, glazed over withshock. They blinked open and closed slowly as she drifted away. Them, her eyes didn't open back up and he could feel her breathing become more jagged against his neck. He sped his steps up; he waas loosing her and she needed medical attention _now._

Coulson ran up into the cargo hold with Lindsey laying lifeless in his arms. He made a beeline for the lab where he knew FitsSimmons would be –even at this hour. He clatted through the door startling both of the scientists.

"I need a favour," he said.

"Of course," Simmons saaid beginning to clear off the table. Her partner did the same quickly.

Coulson lied her down on the table and the blanket fell off of her. Simmons gasped when she saw the gashed covering her body, the blood staining her clothes and skin, and the way her lips were tinted blue.

"What happened to this _girl_?" Fitz demanded

"Her team was attacked by hostile forces, HQ called in a missing containment team. I found her wandering the streets," Coulson explained.

"Who who is she?" Simmons asked as her and Fitz set to work.

"Agent Lindsey Conway. Level 6 Clearance."

Fitz pulled up her information on his handheld before projecting it onto the screen. There was a picture of her in the upper-left corner, a lot of missing information and a clip at the bottom of the screen of her and and a boy about her age fighting a group of assailiants.

"There's not much information on her," Fitz commented.

"It's like she didn't exist," Jemma added slathering antiseptic on a cut on Lindsey's shoulder.

"Her body temperature is significantly lower than it should be," Leo said.

"She was wondering around in the snow for God knows how long."

"How do you know her?" Leo asked giving the girl a syringe filled with antibiotic.

"Sitwell and I recruited her when she was twelve. How is she?"

"Well, she lost a vast amount of blood and it looks like she was on the brink of hypothermia," Simmons began.

"She ill probably need stitches on several wounds," Fitz began lifting her shirt. "By the looks of these bruises, several ribs have been fractured."

" And she possibly sustained a minor concussion," Simmons concluded. "But she'll be okay."

"Coulson," Fitz said urgently. "Have you ever seen a brand like this."

"No," he said his brow knitting to gether. "But she had a… well, complicated past that involves a hidden warcraft program. Most of these programs brand their warriors."

"She covered in scars," Simmons commented under her breath.

This girl, she looked like she ha dbeen in a war. But, she couldn't have been older than sixteen. What were they getting themselves into?

* * *

Lindsey started awake, gasping for air. Her skin was coated in cold sweat and warm tears filled her eyes. But, once the shock of her nightmare wore off –it was Michael, his blood staining her hands as she tried to stop the bleeding –she realized she didn't know where she was. Her head was pounding and it felt like she was drowning in pain. The holster on her hip was empty when she brushed her hand over it and the dagger taped to her thigh was gone. Whoever had her imprisioned was smart enough to check her for weapons. She ripped the IV out of her arm and flung her leg over the side of the table. In the box by the counter she was laying on she found a syringe labled '_sedative'_ she grabbed it, gripping it in her fist.

Lindsey reached for the doorknob and turned it easily. Idiots, they didn't even lock the door. She walked down the hallway taking in every detail. The floor was metal grated like the walls, there was a window at the far end of the hall. She looked out it and saw nothing, but clouds. They must've been on some weird plane. She could hear voices coming through a cracked door with warm light draining out of it. Not like the blinding flourecent lights in the hallway or the dim light that lit the room she woke up in. Light that you would find in a house with kids running around –at least that's what they showed in movies –a family setting.

Slowly, she pushed the door open, peeking through the crack. There was a girl sprawled out on the couch with her legs thrown over a man with severe muscles. The man was playing with the laces of her boots laughing at something. A man with his back to her was saying something to a woman who had a stone-hard expression on her face. Two other people sat on a couch –a boy and a girl –dressed in sweaters and khakis with notebooks around them.

"I'll be right back," the man said rising to his feet. He walked out of the room and stood with his arms crossed towering over the teenager in front of him. "Sleeping beauty finally wakes."

"Very funny, Coulson," Lindsey said crossing her arms over her chest. "Where am I?"

"Ever heard of the Bus?"

"Yeah, agent legend. It doesn't exist."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Coulson smirked. "You're on the Bus. It's my newest toy."

"Great, I've died and gone to hell. You're dead and so am I."

"I'm not dead; I was, but I'm not anymore."

"Oh, so youre a ghost. Like I'm naïve enough to believe that."

"I'm not a ghost."

"I need a drink," Lindsey sighed.

"You're sixteen."

"So," Lindsey demanded. "I'm not an american citizen."

Coulson sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose, she was giving him a head ache.

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**What did you think? Please, leave reviews! I really appriciate input from anyone who is actually reading. **

**Love,**

**Kaylie**


	2. Chapter 2: Family

**So, here is chapter 2. I didn't get any reviews, but there are quite a few people now following not only this story, but me as well. That's great, but I would really appriciate feedback on this chapter. **

**I OWN NOTHING!**

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"Who are you?" Grant demanded walking into the lounge. There he saw a girl with her back to him, long blonde hair reaching to the middle of her back. She had on a red spagetti strap tanktop, dark washed jean shorts that barely covered her butt, black combat boots and he could see a gun in the holster on her hip. There was a white bandage on her shoulder and he could see a thin pink scar just above the back of her tank top.

When she turned to look at him, Ward took in every detail of what he could see. Her lips were rosy red, her eyes were breathtakingly green and calculating, her expression was blank, her features were chistled, her body was covered in well-defined muscles, there were stitches just above her right eye, there was a tattoo of a crow on her collar bone and the hem of her tanktop rose up revealing a brand made of lines just above her hip.

"Coulson didn't tell you did he?" She asked. When Grant's expression changed into a look of confusion, she sighed. "I'm Agent Lindsey Conway." She stuck her hand out flashing a half smile.

Tentively, the agent took this girls hand and shook it. "Agent Grant Ward." He dropped her hand. "I hate to be so straight forward, but what are you doing here?"

"Adding my assistance on a mission that was called in this morning."

"Ah," Grant said with a nod of his head. "How old are you?"

This girl couldn't have been older than seventeen. By the looks of the scars he could see, the fresh wounds and the tattoos, she wasn't new to the business.

"Sixteen, and before you ask, I am qualified to be here. Level Six Clearance."

He was amazed that this kid had the same clearance he did. He was almost thirty and it had taken him twelve years to reach his status.

"Good to know."

"Ward, I see you've already met Agent Conway," Coulson said walking into the lounge, the rest of the team not far behind.

Everyone sat down except for Lindsey who stood in the middle of the room awkwardly.

"Everyone," Coulson began. "This is Agent Lindsey Conway."

He then introduced the girl to the rest of the team.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but why is she here?" Skye asked.

"Lindsey will be assisting us on our latest mission."

"What can she do to help?" May asked. "She looks like a kid."

"I'm standing right here," Lindsey huffed.

"She is a level six clearance and she can provide intel that could be very valuable on this mission. And, I haven't seen skills like hers since Romanoff," Coulson said.

They all just stared at the girl in the middle of the room.

"What kind of mission is this?" Lindsey demanded.

"Lindsey.." Coulson trailed off.

"Tell me," she persisted desperately.

"We're going after the organization that has your team."

* * *

After the meeting and introductions, Agent Simmons –no, it was Jemma, she had insisted that using agent was too impersonal – showed Lindsey to the empty bunk that was across from Ward's.

"Thank you," Lindsey smiled. The door slid open and dropped the box of things Coulson had got from her quarters at HQ on the bed. Her bunk was crammed and stuffy, but it would do. After all, this was only temporary.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the lab," Jemma smiled. It wasn't until the older woman was out of sight that she began unpacking her few belongings. She shoved her clothes into one of the drawers that pulled out of the wall. In the other drawer, she stashed her weapons and hygiegene stuff. There was a book in the box that Michael had bought her for her birthday that year. _"Black Beauty."_ She had read it several times and the spine of the book was worn out. Sighing, she propped it up on the shelf with the notebook Shannon had bought her. And then there were the two pictures in the bottom of the box. One was of her and Michael sprawled out on his bed at HQ laughing.

They were entangled together and if she hadnt known better, she would've thought that they were a couple just by looking at it.

The other picture was of her whole team covered a blood and battered. They had just gotten back from Madrid after knocking out a trillion dollar drug cartel. Despite it all, they were all smiling. But Michael wasn't looking at the camera. He was looking at her. God, she missed him.

Fighting the tears thretening to fall, she pulled two pins out of the cork board hanging over the bed and used them to pin up the pictures. She sat back on the bed so she was staring at the picture of her and Michael. Lindsey had a pillow hugged to her chest as she curled up at the foot of the bed. Slowly, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Agents to the mess hall," Coulson's voice said over the intercom startling Lindsey awake. She jumped hitting her head on the shelf. An unladylike curse slipped off her tongue as pain shot through her head. Rubbing her head, she walked out into the hallway feeling blood squishing through her fingers.

"Crap," Lindsey muttered. "The damn stitches came untied."

She wiped the blood on her shorts and rifled through her weapons drawer looking for her first aid kit. She threaded the sterilized needle with the medical thread and set to work. She flinched each time the needle pierced her skin and she bit her lip stifling the screams rising in her throat.

"What are you doing?" Grant asked walking out of his own bunk. It had slipped her mind entirely that the door was open and anyone who walked by could see her.

"I hit my head on the shelf and ripped open my stitches," she said looking in the mirror on the wall.

"Do you want help?" He asked hesitation apparent in his voice.

"Nope," she said. "I almost got it."

She tied the knot on her head and clipped the excess thread with the scissors laying on her bed.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Well," Lindsey said standing up. "I learned how to do that when I was thirteen and my partner was bleeding out in the field."

And that was that. The two walked silently to the mess hall surrounded by awkward silence. When they made it to the mess hall, the smell of warm food smacked into her like a wall.

"You're lucky, it's spaghetti night," Ward smiled before walking away. Though the whole team was already there, the room was mostly empty. She guessed the Bus must've been built to house a lot more people than it did. The team had pushed together three small tables and in the middle sat a big bowl of spaghetti. She stood at the door watching them, she didn't belong here.

Lindsey watched Ward press a kiss to Skye's cheek as he sat down in the chair next to her with his arm draped over her shoulders. They were together, she told herself metally. May sat down with a blank expression and watched as Coulson scooped out plates of pasta and red sauce. Fitz and Simmons chattered between themselves, disreguarding the food in front of them. There was something between them, though she couldn't pin point it. And Coulson, he sat at the head of the table, like a father. This was the team she was colaborating with? They were all so dysfuctional, but it wrked for them. Like a family.

She wasn't apart of that family, she knew it. She was an intruder. After all, her own family was missing, probably dead.

"Lindsey," Coulson called startling her from her mind. "Come join us."

Silently, Lindsey walked over to the table and at down in the empty chair next to Simmons who smiled at her dropping a heaping helping of noodles drenched in sauce on her plate. She muttered a 'thanks' before picking up her fork. The conversations resumed around her as she poked at her food.

They were definitely a family, even if they hadn't picked up on it.

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**Again, reviews would be nice. I really like to know who likes what and who has any suggestions. **

**Love,**

**Kaylie**


	3. Chapter 3: Familiar

**I OWN NOTHING!**

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The whole team and Lindsey stood around the table in the Control Room. On the table, Coulson had pulled up a file containing all they had on the Clan. Which, sadly, wasn't much. The screen in front of the table was covered in the only profiles they had on the organization. If only they knew the men who had been identified were not of importance to the Clan. They were just lackies, most of them were probably dead by now.

. "Let's get to work. Lindsey, take it away," Coulson said.

"Alright," Lindsey sighed tapping on a file and moving it to the screen. "Tonight, we will all be attending the Clan annual Ball. This is the recruitment event of the year. Anyone who is anyone in this organization will be here. It will be held in the headquarters of the Clan, luckliy for us, they hold all prisoners in this building." Lindsey pulled up a picture of an old brick building. "The two buildings are less than a block apart. Skye, Ward, Fitz, and I will attend the gala as guests. Coulson will secure the detention building. After the perimeter is sealed, those at the ball with go in. Simmons and May will act as the handlers from the Bus. Any questions?"

"I think we got it," Coulson said. "We'll be over Berlin in a few hours."

"What's the plan when we land?" Ward asked.

"We go the SHIELD base outside the city and they will already have everything we need for the mission," Lindsey said.

"What's plan B?" May said. "By the looks of the Blue Prints, it would be easy to move the prisoners to a new location."

"We'll make it up as we go," Lindsey said.

"Great," Ward mumbled under his breath sarcasm dripping into his tone.

* * *

Bags of gear slung over their shoulders, the team jumped out of the cargo hold together. Simultaniously, they pulled their chutes floating down to the ground. Lindsey was the only one who landed in the field grass with any grace. Skye and Ward somehow managed to get their chutes tangled together about sixteen feet off the ground ended up landing in heap on the ground choking on the dust. Fitz landed sprawled out on his back obviously being his first time parachuting solo. Coulson stumbled in on his landing, a little out of practice.

Lindsey landed on her feet easily. She removed her goggles and unclipped the chute from her waist. They all stared at her in awe. Her long hair was wind-blown into beautiful waves, her cheeks were burned from the cool air tinted pink, and there was smile on her face.

"That was fun," she said fixing her bag.

"Easy for you to say," Leo muttered brushing off her jeans.

"Let's get going," Coulson said. "We've got a lot of work to do."

"How far away is Base?" Ward asked helping Skye to her feet.

"A couple miles south," Coulson said.

"Then, we better start walking," Lindsey said.

And they did with Coulson in the lead. Lindsey walked slightly behind the rest of the team feeling even more out of place. The sun was beginning to go down and the Moon was rising. It was beautiful, the Full moon illuminating their bodies.

"You know, I can't figure you out," Skye said falling back so he was in step with Lindsey.

"Most people can't," Lindsey said. "I'm a little complicated."

"Yeah," Skye said. "But, I think I'm getting close."

"Care to enlighten me."

They continued to walk behind the group, Lindsey's boots squishing in the mud.

"I'm guessing you were recruited for SHIELD because of you were a threat, even if you were just a child."

Lindsey nodded.

"You probably made it through the academy quickly. Instead of making friends, you made a lot of enemies in your time there. Probably caused a lot of problems even if you didn't mean to."

"You have no idea," Lindsey scoffed. "They all hated me, even the trainers."

"I'm guessing right after you graduated you were put directly into the field. You most likely went through several teams, handlers and SO's before they gave up. Eventually they realized it would be best if you worked alone with minimal assistance from base."

"I had thirteen handlers in six months. Most of them quit SHIElD all together after they were done with me."

"But, I still can't figure out why we you are so desperate to save these people captured by the Clan if you like working alone."

"Because they're more than my team, they're my family. They are the first people who actually get me; they love me even after they leared about my past."

"I still don't get why your team actually worked."

"Me either," Lindsey said grinning a little bit. She adjusted the bag on her back huffing. "What about you; what's your story? I know you didn't go to the academy, you have to much personality for that."

"Thanks, I think."

"That was a compliment," Lindsey chuckled.

"Ward and AC found caught me hacking into the SHIELD mainframe, they took me in temporarily to help complete a mission. I never went back to my van though, I guess it was because I became a member of the team. I had people who actually wanted me around. I'm not an official agent, but I'm something. I'm _needed._"

"What's going on between you and Ward?" Lindsey asked.

"What?" Skye sputtered. "There's nothing."

"Don't say there's nothing, I'm paid to analyze body language. There's obviously something there."

"Fine," Skye sighed. "I guess I realized I felt more than a rookie should feel for her SO when I broke into the Hub mainframe and realized there was no rescue plan for Fitz and Grant on a mission. I freaked out, organized a pretty crappy rescue team. We hooked up after a mission that went wrong. He almost died and I couldn't handle it. I walked into his bunk and kissed him. He kissed back and it kind of escalated from there."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah, it is," Skye smiled looking at the back of Grants head.

Lindsey sighed; it sounded very familiar. Michael had almost died in El Salvador six months before. It had scared the crap out of her and had woken her up to what she really felt. So, late one night, she snuck into his quarters and kissed him. Amazingly enough, he kissed her back. She couldn't quite remember what had happened from there. However, she did know she woke up the next morning enveloped in his arms just as naked as he was. From then on, they had been some weird undefined couple.

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**So, what did you think? I got one review on my last chapter. I know, a little pathetic, right? **

**Love,**

**Kaylie**


	4. Chapter 4: Animalistic

**I OWN NOTHING!**

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Lindsey looked at herself over critically in the mirror. Someone had pulled a black floorlength dress of the rack quickly. Across her collarbone, there was silver cord woven into a pattern that would have been cool if she gave a crap about fashion. She had refused –despite Coulson's pleas –to remove the stud in her nose. In the box with her heeled shoes with sparkly straps –that added six inches to her height – there was a silver bangle and a huge cocktail ring. The makeup some agent had smeared on her face made her look presentable. And her hair had been waterfall braided into a messy bun. She felt like an imposter dressed the way she was.

Sighing, she stepped out of the dressing room and into the control room. An agent handed her a Comm that she in turn shoved in her ear. Another came up to her handing her a phone.

"You'll need this," he said. When she didn't take it and gave him a hesitant look, he continued. "It's got the software and the intel you'll need for this mission."

"Thanks," she smiled shoving the phone between her boobs.

The team was standing around a table, pouring over the mission files. When they noticed her walking toward them, they all looked at her.

Ward and Fitz had on tuxedos that looked identical. They had both managed to clean the dirt off their faces and combed their hair back. In final, they looked relatively presentable.

Skye had her hair pulled back into a sleek pony tail and minimal makeup had been applied to her face. There was a large ring –similar to the one Lindsey was wearing –slipped onto her pointer finger. A strapless red dress adorned her body and brushed past her feet. Lindsey could see the slight hint of black heels beneath the hem. There was a chunky necklace wrappead around her neck and if you looked closely, you could see the wiring running through the chain.

Coulson slid a gun across the table to her and she lifted the hem of her dress shoving the gun into the holster strapped to her thigh. Every last male in the room –minus Coulson –stopped what they were doing to stare at her long legs, several ran into each other. Sputtering, Fitz handed her extra clips that she slipped into the straps of her shoes.

"Alright, you ready to kick some ass?" Lindsey smiled devishly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Leo muttered under his breath.

* * *

Two limos pulled up in front of the building. The doors was pulled open by a large men dressed in all black. Out of one limo all anyone could see was Lindsey's long leg that she swung out the door. She was already making an impression. Out of the other, Ward stepped into the crowd, Skye close behind. She latched onto his arm easily and they walked into the building. Lindsey and Leo walked into the building several couples behind.  
"Is this your first undercover?" Lindsey asked quietly,

"How could you tell?" Leo asked.

"You're shaking and I can smell sweat," Lindsey whispered. "Just loosen up a little bit."

"How do I do that?" Leo asked.

"Drink this," she said grabbing two glasses filled with champagne from a waiter walking by. She handed one to him smiling.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Not old enough to drink this in America," she said sipping her drink.

"Good to know," he muttered following suit. "What's the plan?"

"When Coulson gives us the signal, we'll leave one at a time and make our way to the other building."

"After we get there?"

"We'll figure it out for there."

"You don't like to make plans, do you?"

"No," she said looking at him. "Planning is useless in my line of work. Whatever you want to happen, usually the opposite happens."

"What line of work would that be?"

"A different branch of yours."

The song playing switched and Lindsey grabbed his glass placing them both on a table. "C'mon," Lindsey said grabbing his hand.

"Where are we going?"

"Dancing."

The two moved to the music easily –Lindsey leading mostly.

"You're very interesting, Agent Conway," Fitz stated.

"Why, thank you, Agent Fitz," she teased.

They swayed acrosss the floor, even after the song changed.

"Secure," Coulson said over the Comm. "Skye and Ward leave now. Fitz and Conway, wait for my signal."

Lindsey glanced across the floor discreetly and watched Skye whisper something into Ward's ear with a seductive smile on her lips. He looked at her 'blushing' and nodded. Ward grabbed her hand and the two left the party. Just as they had rehearsed.

"They did good," Lindsey whispered leading Fitz away from the floor. "But, we're not out of the clear yet."

"Clear," Coulson said over the Comm. "Come my direction."

"Sorry," Lindsey muttered to Leo before raising her hand.

"You, jerk," Lindsey shouted smacking Fitz across the face. Tossing a drink in his face, she turned around and stomped away.

"Babe," Fitz called chasing after her.

_Perfect._

It wasn't until they were half a block away before they dropped the act. The two burst into laughter.

"That was fun," Lindsey giggled. "How's you're face?"

"Been better," Fitz said rubbing his cheek. "Was the drink really necessary."

"I got a little carried away."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Ward said as they approached. "I could hear that smack from here. How's your pride, Fitz."

"Just as bruised as his face," Simmons piped in over the Comm.

"I pack a mean punch," Lindsey smirked.

"Enough," Coulson said. "Let's get to work."

Stifling the laughter bubbling in her stomach, Lindsey pulled her phone out of her bra. She pulled the cord –she had stashed without his knowing –out of Ward's pocket. When he gave her a shoked look, she just smiled at him and turned back to her work. She hooked the cord to the phone and the security frame they had somehow managed to get to. Withing two seconds, the doors slid open.

"I think that's my new personal record," Lindsey commented smiling at the team.

"How did you do that?" Skye sputtered. She had just been beaten skill wise by a teenage girl with a cell phone.

"I was raised by immoral sons of bitches, you pick a few things up," Lindsey said walking through the door. When no one followed, she sighed and stuck her head out the door.

"Are you coming?" She asked. C'mon, I'm in heels and I'm moving faster than you."

With the team now on her heels, Lindsey pulled her gun out from under her dress. She removed the safetly and held it up ready to shoot.

"See," Ward whispered. "She knows the difference between the safety clip and the magazine release."

"Shut up," Lindsey hissed under her breath.

She peeked around the corner, but flinched back when she heard heavy footsteps moving toward them quickly. A muttered 'damnit' slipped off her tongue. She could make out six different advancing footsteps, she could handle that. And she did.

Lindsey stepped around the corner and began firing. Each bullet that flew across the hall hit its mark easily. Agent Conway lowered her gun and stepped toward the men bleeding out in front of her. She pulled a gun out of one of their belts. Ameteurs, they didn't even have enough time to reach for their weapons.

Grabbing keys out of another mans pocket, she tossed theem over her shoulder and heard them land in Skye's hands. After she finished picking through the dead men's belongings, she rose to her feet.

They followed her further into the maze of hallways. None of them knew that she had caught a bullet in her shoulder.

* * *

Lindsey led them into the inprisonment wing, shooting only a few men who stood guard. But, what they found in the cells made her cry an animalistic cry –and realize the pain shooting through her shoulder. They were all empty.

There was blood on the floor, but that was each. The blood was fresh though, whoever was being held here had been moved recently. And whoever it was, they were in critical condition.

* * *

**What do you think? Please review.**

**Love,**

**Kaylie**


	5. Chapter 5: Breakthrough

**I OWN NOTHING!**

* * *

She looked just about as bad as she felt, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It had been a week since the had found the empty cells. A week and nothing had happened. No new new leads. No suspects. _Nothing._

Lindsey stood in the carge hold with her hair falling out of a ponytail, dressed in a sports bra and really tight yoga pants. You could see the rose tattoo on her back, the brand on her hip and the tattoo on of the crow on her collar bone. And if you walked by, you could see the piercing in her belly button.

Her knuckles were busted and her blood was smeared onto the punching bag. She didn't wrap her hands or put gloves on. Why bother anyway? There was no point in anything, she decided. Because she was loosing and the cost was her team. _Michael._

Lindsey had tried helping, but the information she had was just as stale as what everyone else had. There were thousands of buildings in the Clan's control that were scattered all over the world. And she was pretty sure several of them had been had been abondoned or burned to the ground. Plus, there were probably more than she knew about.

"You're gonna hurt your hands," Ward said stepping into the hold.

"Too late," she said landing a jab in the bag. There was sweat coating her whole body and he could see the entry wound from the bullet. Simmons somehow managed to coax her into sitting still long enough to remove the bullet and clean the area around it. After that, Lindsey's face was rarely shown. But late at night, you could hear the distinct sound of her crying. No one brought it up, though. There was a silent agreement between all of them to keep it quiet.

"You know we're doing the best we can to find your team," Ward said.

"Yeah," Lindsey said. "But it doesn't look like its good enough."

"We didn't have a back up plan and they were moved underground," Ward said.

Then, it clicked. She remembered vaguely an underground warehouse in LA where they stored ammunition and rations. In several occasions, they had also kept high profile prisioners locked up there.

"I've got it, they _are _underground," Lindsey muttered before turning and running away. Ward was on her heels following through the halls and into the lounge. "Get FitzSimmons in here," she ordered. When no one responded, she demanded a loud and clear. "_Now."_

Skye ran out of the room and returned minutes later with FitzSimmons in tow, both looking like they hadn't slept in a few days. From what Lindsey recalled, she only noticed them leav the lab twice since what happened in Berlin. Obviously it was putting a tole on people other tha here. If she wasn't so excited about the breaththrough, she might have felt guilty.

"What?" May asked. "What is so important?"

"I think I know where they are," Lindsey stated.

"Who?" Simmons yawned.

"I think I know where the Clan is holding my team."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" May demanded. Lindsey had that inkling that the older woman really didn't like her.

"I just thought of it."

"Well, then," Coulson said.

So she explained it quickly, but did not skimp on the details. Lindsey explained that it could easily be another mislead operation, but they did have a slightly better chance finding them here. This place was underground and under tight lock and key. High Clearance entry only, but that would be easy with Lindsey's brand. Not everyone knew she went rouge, it wasn't exactly good for the organization's recruitment efforts if people knew that the Major's own daughter had jumped that was another reason she changed her last name –she had explained –too much innocent blood on her real name; Condor. Given the fact that she had a series of lines on her hip, that if you looked close looked like a bar code –she had access to anything she wanted. Apparently, that had come in handy on several missions. Somewhere along the coast of LA, there was an underground lair as Fitz had so happily put it. It was used as a storage warehouse and everything was shipped out from there. Several people –about to be killed or used in an operation –were held there until they became of use.

"We don't have much time left considering they've there for awhile," Lindsey said.

"Considering the blood found in all the cells, they all are in desperate need of medical attention."

"The men standing on guard won't give them the medical means they need and it is likely they won't be feed under lock."

"The wounds sustained will most likely be infected."

"Alright," Coulson said looking at Lindsey. "What's the plan?"

She smiled at him and began.

* * *

This plan was entirely fool proof and it was all Lindsey's. The Bus had been landed several miles out of town. SHIELD had sent a van to drive them to the base in LA. Though the car ride was less than an hour, it felt longer having squished equitment, the whole team, Lindsey and the two men in the front seat who hadnt said a word to them. The second the car stopped in the parking garage, Lindsey flung open the door and threw herself on the pavement screaming "I have to pee." No one dared step in her path, they could see the gun in her wasit band. She was known to fire at–not kill, mostly –anyone who stepped in her path.

When she stepped out of the bathroom and made her way briskly to the conference room the team had set up shop in. The heels of her boots made an echo as she stepped around the corner and into the room.

Lindsey helped them set up the computers and medical equiptment. There would be a medic team on standby if necessary. May shoved a skimpy red swimsuit in her direction with short jean shorts and black leather flipflops. "Get dresses," she ordered. And suddenly Lindsey was regretting her decision to act like tourists. Huffing an exasperated sigh, Lindsey did as she was asked slipping into the supply closet. Less than a minute later, she slumped back into the room barely dresses. She was visibly shivering and goosebumps were raising on her arms.

"Goddamned air conditioner," she muttered. The others going into the field were dresses similarly in swimsuits. May had on a one piece swimsuit that was plain and simple –probably because she was pretending to be a mother of two. Coulson had on swim trunks and a t-shirt over his torso which sent Lindsey aback; she had never, _ever_ seen him in anything but SHIELD issued suits with matching ties. Ward had on similar trunks with a muscle shirt on top revealing every detail of his biceps. Skye had on a strapless back swimsuit with white jean shorts and american flag flipflops.

"Where's your gun?" Ward asked.

"Trust me," Lindsey said. "You do not want to know."

That was the end of that conversation.

* * *

**What did you think? I know it was pretty short, but this fic is kind of weird. I know how I want it to end, but I'm not quite sure how to get there without making anyone who is reading this entirely bored out of their minds. So, please review! If you have any suggestions, I would appriciate you kindly leave them in my PM box. **

**Love,**

**Kaylie**


	6. Chapter 6: It's Okay

**Sorry it took so long to update, it's been pretty hectic preparing for finals and stuff. But, tomorrow is a half day ands is Thursday so I mightbe able to upload the last regular chapter by the end of the week. Also, I will probably have an epilogue after one more regular chapter.**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

* * *

The blood curling scream echoed through the room as the bullet shot through her side. Before she stumbled backward she managed to fire six bullets that took out the men with the brand like hers. And then she crumbled to the floor as the ringing in her ears grew louder. When she hit the ground, she told herself she was ready to give up. What was left for her here? She had just watched Shannon and Evens give up their lives for her, Michael was probably dead somewhere, there was nothing keeping her here.

She tilted her head and looked at Shannon. Her bright red hair was going in every direction, her t-shirt was saturated in blood, her eyes were closed, her skin was pale and when Lindsey reached out her shaky hand her skin felt ice cold. When she retracted her hand, there was a handprint in blood still on her cheek.

Someone kneeled in front of her and she looked toward them. It was Ward. He said something to her and the lines on his face told her it was urgent, but she couldn't hear it. His arms went under her and he gently lifted her up bridal style.

Lindsey buried her face in his warm chest as he sprinted down the winding hallway. She did her best to ignore the pain rocketing through her body. There was the vague sound of screaming, but Lindsey was too busy trying to stifle her own to pay any attention to who it was coming through. As a wave a pain stabbed through her body, she tightened her grip on the gun that she hadn't let go of yet.

There was a man waiting for them as the came around the corner. It was her father. He had that evil glint in his eyes and the tattoo snaking up his neck was unmistakable. It felt like it was all in slow motion as her glance took in the gun in his hand. Without comprehending it, she extended her gun with a shaking hands and white knuckles. And then, she fired. And then again. She lost count of how many bullets flew out of the barrel, but they all hit him in the chest.

As he fell to the ground, she realized how good it felt to finally be free of this monster. And she realized that she wasn't ready to give up.

Ward looked down at the girl in his arms, there were tears on her cheeks and that's when he knew who she had just killed. It was her father. From reading her file, he knew she came from a secret war program and he knew she had run away at a young age. He also knew that her father was the leader of the corporation.

He laid her down on against the wall pulling a wad of gauze out of his pocket and pressed it against her side. Using his teeth he tore off a piece of duct tape and placed it over the gauze.

For some reason he felt the need to brush the strand of hair away from her face and smile at her. She reached up her hand and squeezed it. Her hands were cold and clammy. "Find him," she rasped. She took the extra clips Ward fished out of his pocket.

"I promise, and then I'll get you out of here."

He turned and ran in the other direction leaving her there up against the wall momentarily patched up. But both of them knew that she would bleed through that makeshift bandage and then she would bleed out. Quickly. He had to hurry or all the blood on the floor in the front room would be pointless. And the most important thing of it all, she wasn't ready to give up fighting yet. That would be too easy and she hated easy.

* * *

It wasn't supposed to go that way. The plan was perfect, or at least that was what they all thought. But, when they went in, something went wrong. Maybe they figured out how to reactivate her tracker, none of them really knew.

The second they steeped onto the sand of the beach, things went wrong. Some guy came up and before she could blink, they were standing in the warehouse drowning in fluorescent lights and blood. And then Shannon and Evens showed up with guns and extra ammo. Skye and May were sent to look for the place they were holding Michael. Coulson went off to find where they had their supplies. And that left Shannon and Evens to help fight off the Clan with Lindsey and Ward.

"How'd you get out?" Lindsey asked.

"When you showed up, they kind of lowered us on the list of priorities. Besides, you didn't think you could fire some bullets with out me, did you?" Evens said.

"Where's Michael?" Lindsey asked not letting the fear drip into his voice.

"We haven't seen him since before we got moved," Evens said running a hand through his usually-spiked black hair.

And that's when the bullet lodged itself in his shoulder, then another in his chest. By the time he hit the floor, he was already gone. Lindsey let out a cry as his eyes rolled back into his head. She knew he was gone. Then, it was Shannon. She had just wavered for a second to glance at Evens, but that hesitation cost her, her life. It was only one bullet for her, a direct shot to her head. The redhead stood there for a second and her gun was the first thing to hit the floor. She said something Lindsey couldn't make out before she collapsed to the ground, her blood running all over the floor.

And now Lindsey was here. The face Evens made the second the last bullet entered his body was stuck in her head. And the look in Shannon's dark brown eyes. Her team was mostly gone and for all she knew, she could be the only one left.

Michael. God, Michael. She missed him so much, especially now. When the loneliness was suffocating her and the fact that she was about to die hanging in the air. Her vision was becoming hazy now and she was fighting to keep her heavy eyelids open. If she let her eyes droop closed, she knew that would be it. She wouldn't ever wake up again. That would be it for her.

She didn't believe in all that shit about the afterlife. In her mind, she was just dead and that was the end of her. The world would go on perfectly fine without her like she was never there at all. The few people she had met would get over her being gone and that would be the end of her. The people who cried when she died would forget her and get on with life. However, if all that crap was real, she knew she was on her way to hell.

Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her, but she could've sworn she heard Michael calling her name. Shouting it desperately. Then, she saw him with Ward on his tail. He looked worried, but other than that fine. Completely unharmed.

"Linds," he whispered crouching in front of her. He pressed a kiss to her lips cupping her face with both of his hands.

"You're alive," she whispered pain in her voice.

"Last time I checked," he smirked. "C'mon, let's get you back to base."

His picked her up slowly, cradling her in his arms like she was fragile. Lindsey looked at him taking in every detail of him. He had on the same black t-shirt he was wearing when he was taken, paired with the ripped up jeans that sometimes seemed like the only pair of pants he owned, there were dark bags under his big blue eyes and his shaggy blonde hair was dirty. But he was there, he was holding her.

"Shannon and Evens," Lindsey started, but was cut off by Michael.

"I know," he said softly. "It's okay."

And for the first time since he went missing over a month ago, Lindsey actually believed that it really was _okay_. Even as they past the puddles of blood on the floor and as she stared blankly at her father laying lifelessly soaked in his own blood. And when they passed the other members of her team she buried her face in his chest, feeling him tense as he took in the sight. Because they were more than a team, they were a family. But, she still had Michael and even though she was missing so much, she knew that he would be enough for her.

* * *

**So, I cried when I wrote that, but I'm a major crier. What did you think? Please review! Be ready for another chapter and an epilogue. Do you think I should do a sequel? **

**Love, **

**Kaylie**


	7. Chapter 7: All Wrong

**Here is the last regular chapter of this fic and the epilogue will be here soon. I will warn you now, it's kind of short. I really didn't have a whole lot of inspiration on how to start wrapping this fic up. There will be a sequel and I will post a reminder when I put it up. **

**I OWN NOTHING!**

* * *

It was over a week later when they had the funeral at the base in LA. If she was totally honest with herself, she would admit she wasn't ready to say goodbye to them yet. But she went anyway, clad in a black dress paired with black heels.

A lot had happened in the last few weeks and her mind was still trying to put the pieces in place. But when she saw her teammates laying lifeless in their caskets, it was like a slap across the face.

Michael kept his arm wrapped around her protectively the entire funeral. It was almost like he thought she would break, he wasn't wrong, though. She was still weak from the surgery and she had over one hundred stitches running up her side. And to top if off, she was emotionally fragile too.

Michael and Lindsey had been directed to stay on the Bus until they were assigned –which was agent for 'separated.' But that was the last thing anyone was thinking about; they were all too worried about Lindsey. She had been mostly quiet and out of it, her snarky comments had ceased. And even though no one brought it up at all, they could hear desperate sobs late every night. It was the kind of sob that broke your heart to hear, the one that comes from someone who had truly lost everything.

At the end of the service, the few agents that showed up filed out. A few lingered in their black clothes gossiping in the corner. Michael and Lindsey sat in the second row unmoving with the team in the row next to them. Their heads were bowed and their mouths were closed.

Lindsey, surprisingly, was the first to make a move. With ease, she rose to her feet straightening her dress. Her shoes clomped against the wood floors slicing through the silence like the dagger strapped to her thigh. Everyone watched her carefully, including the agents she didn't know.

The caskets were standing next to each other with the lids propped open. The one on the left held Shannon dressed in a purple dress, flowers clasped in her bony hands, curls cascading around her face and perfect makeup painted on her soft features. She looked peaceful.

Evens' dark hair was slicked back, his suit matched his perfectly tied neck-tie and the smirk on his lips was non-existent.

"No," Lindsey whispered.

It wasn't right. Not even close.

"No," she repeated shouting. "It's all wrong."

There were tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at Michael helplessly.

"Shannon would never wear a dress like that because you can't hide a gun in it. She doesn't wear makeup, unless you count chap stick, and when she does it's all messy. Last year she tried to curl her hair for a mission and she singed off a huge chunk of it. And if she saw the flowers, she would castrate the man who put them there. Evens would spike his hair because he thought it would pick up girls. His tie would be untied and no way in hell would it be remotely close to matching his jacket, his shirt would be stained with blood from a mission because he's too cheap to buy a new one. He would be smirking even if he got his ass handed to him by me 'cause that's just who he was. They can't be gone because they promised they would never hurt me. It hurts like hell right now and my whole body feels broken. I don't think I can take it! They died because they knew me; it's my fault they're gone. I was being naive by staying here when I knew my father would find me. And they're paying for my selfish mistake."

Michael pulled Lindsey against his body, wrapping his muscular arms around her.

"It's okay," he whispered tears dripping out of his own cheeks. "It's okay."

Maybe he didn't know what else to say or maybe he was trying to reassure himself. No on really knew, not even he did.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Please, review! **

**Love,**

**Kaylie**


	8. Chapter 8: Epilogue

**I own nothing!**

* * *

Michael and Lindsey were reassigned the following day, but they weren't separated. Fury, despite his better judgment, allowed the two to be a partner team. Knocking back the dregs of his 'damn cafeteria coffee' he dropped a strangely optimistic "maybe they'll be as good as Barton and Romanoff… even if they're just as compromised with half the experience." And that was that because at the end of the day, Fury really was a good guy.

It was bittersweet when they packed up their few belongings. When it was all packed up, no one said anything, they just stood there silently avoiding each other's gaze. Honestly, they didn't want to say goodbye, Lindsey had somehow managed to change them all in the short time she had been there. Their family had grown and they weren't ready to give up their new addition that easily. These two kids standing in front of them were covered in scars, some that reached deeper than the skin. And in a way, the team took them in, Lindsey especially.

It felt like it had been more than a month since Coulson had brought her into the lab half dead. That night was a lifetime ago. In the short period she'd been there, that small little girl changed them. And as they looked at her possibly for the last time, they wanted to think that just maybe they changed her too.

"Well," Skye said breaking though the silence. "It's been…. Interesting."

That was an understatement. Skye hugged her awkwardly.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Lindsey said flashing a sad smile.

"Don't be a stranger," Coulson said giving Lindsey a hug. And she kind of went down the line giving Skye a hug, then a weird head nod to Agent May who surprised everyone by wrapping the small girl in a hug. "Be careful," the older agent whispered in her ear.

"I'll try," Lindsey said noticing the almost maternal tone in her voice. _Almost._

When she pulled away, she saw Jemma and Leo standing close together doing their best to withhold the tears. Lindsey stepped toward them with open arms and they pulled her into a bone-crushing group hug.

"I'm not dying," Lindsey joked. But the second the words came off her tongue, she regretted saying it. The truth was, they didn't know that. Tomorrow she could go on a mission and not come back. That could happen to any of them.

And then there was Ward standing at the end of the line with his hands shoved in his pockets. It was weird with him and her. Lindsey had connected with him more than anyone else on the Bus. He was like her overprotective older brother and that came out even more after she got shot. And when they got back to base and Lindsey went into surgery, Grant paced around outside her door all five hours she was under.

"Just hug me already," Lindsey said stepping down.

"I'm gonna miss you, Linds," Ward whispered in her blonde hair.

"I'm gonna miss you, too" she smiled pulling away. Looking at Skye, she continued. "Keep him in line."

Skye nodded her head grinning solemnly. Lindsey picked up her duffle bag and looked at the people in front of her.

They were all screwed up like her and they were a bunch of misfits. But together, they made a family.

"Thank you," Lindsey said turning around.

Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the team watched them walk away. That day when they left, the two teenagers weren't okay no matter how easily they hid it. But honestly, neither of them had ever been okay by normal standards. Or theirs to be brutally truthful. They had, however, all ways gotten by. And that was their version of okay.

And as they walked into their new lives, they knew that they were on the way back to their okay. Not today or tomorrow or anytime soon. But someday they would be themselves again. Today was just the first step.

* * *

Lindsey and Michael stood with their backs facing each other racing around to pull on their uniforms. It had been over a year since they had seen the team and unfortunately that was when they said goodbye. They had been successful in the last year with minimal injuries –no one had been shot yet. And here they were getting ready for yet another mission, this time in Israel. The pair looked pretty beaten up considering they had just gotten back from an assassination mission in New York.

"Where's my gun?" Lindsey asked digging through the pile of clothes on their bed. Michael lifted it off the nightstand and tossed it to her. Without turning her head, she caught it and dropped it into her backpack.

She threw her blonde hair back into a short ponytail –she cut it shortly after the funeral. Walking over to the dresser, she looked in the mirror. The impact sight from a man's fist had already started to bruise. With a few swipes of makeup, the purplish shade was easily hidden. She put her makeup kit in her bag, bruises would ruin their cover.

"Ready?" She asked slinging her bag over her shoulder. They were more than that, everyone knew that, they just didn't label it. According to Lindsey, labels just complicated everything.

"Ready," Michael replied shoving extra weapons and ammunition into his duffle bag.

This time, they were supposed to act like siblings at a boarding school. Military brats from Michigan who were apparently social butterflies. That was all they knew; Fury hadn't told them why they were being assigned the mission, just that they were going.

But, that was how it usually was so it didn't bother them.

* * *

**So that was the epilogue, what did you think? What did you think of the story as a whole? Please review!**

**Love,**

**Kaylie**


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